Beginnings and Endings
by kojika85
Summary: Rated for swearing only. Kagome's adventures in the Feudal Era are over as she sits alone in the dark writing of her adventures and what it's helped her learn about herself. No real pairings. Please review. [ONE SHOT]


Here's a little something that popped into my head. I hope you like it

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

(Beginnings and Endings)

There was nothing quite as intimidating as a blank page. It promised infinite possibilities, yet offered nothing in the way of guidance. It was a place full of beginnings, but guaranteed no ends. Kagome felt scared. How could one possibly comprehend the complexities and paradoxes of an infinite beginning? Yet, the human mind managed to complete the delicate formulas subconsciously without fail. That exact of comprehending failed her as she stared at her paper; unable to find a suitable beginning for something as mundane as a story. She was banking her whole career on this one piece of work, and come success or failure, she'd stick with it. Damn paper.

Kagome sat at her desk, pencil stuck firmly between her teeth, and paper set innocently in front of her. Ideas ran through her mind, but nothing seemed right. How was she supposed to be able to conform the complexities of her past to something as archaic as the written word? The language of the heart was completely different from any form of speech in any language of the earth. It was impossible, but she'd damn sure try.

There were several beginnings already started that had only succeeded in ending with an all expense paid air trip to her waste bin. She shoots, and she scores! Yeah, that got old pretty fast.

_"There was once a miko…"_

Kagome scrunched up her face. It was a start, but which miko should the story start with? The memory that was granted life; or the live on that was granted memory? Which to choose from. Perhaps she should start with the beginning and work her way there, but which beginning? The beginning for her; or the beginning for the memory? There were just too many beginnings in the end. Scratch that one.

"_There was once a hanyou…"_

A new beginning. But which one? Should she start where she met him, or where he met HER? Once again too many ways to start. Why did everything have to have two beginnings with two endings? Why couldn't anything have started with Kagome and ended with Kagome? Wait…it all DID end with Kagome. Kagome by herself and no one else. Everything had their own beginnings, and everything ended with her, and only her. Endings sucked. Swish, another beginning in the trash. There was only one way to start this monster, and she didn't like it, but it all started at one point.

"_There was once a thief named Onigumo…"_

And that was the beginning. It all started with him. His lust for treasure that ended with him in a cave burned beyond recognition; being taken care of by a miko with a jewel. How's that for a beginning for you? A thief, a miko, and a damned cursed jewel. How exciting.

It would have been so easy for her to just go into a fantasy about how it started and ended with those two. To forget all other characters involved, but that wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be fair to all involved. Kagome would have loved to just say that Onigumo died and his lust for that which he couldn't have died with him. Too easy. Nothing was ever easy for Kagome.

"_There was once a thief named Onigumo who lusted after a jewel. He made a deal with the demons that came to feast on his flesh. The thief Onigumo became the demon Naraku who, afterwards, still lusted after the jewel."_

I hate beginnings.

She wrote late into the night. Before she knew it, the story of a thief, a miko, and a jewel was coming to it's first end. The one that didn't involve her…luckily. This one wasn't a happy ending. Those that concerned real life were never happy ones, but no one believed that this was real life. Lucky them.

"_The miko pinned her beloved to a tree with her waning strength. With her last breaths she asked her little sister to burn the jewel with her body in a funeral pyre. Her life giving blood stopped flowing as her heart stopped, and her breaths ceased. The crowd was silent as their hero died before them. The only sound was the wind howling as though it too felt their loss."_

The end. Kagome couldn't find it in herself to write the two three-letter words. She would be lying to herself. This wasn't the end of the story, like she wished, but the end of the beginning. She hated beginnings.

Kagome noticed the time, but paid it little heed. The sun was beginning to rise from it's daily slumber, giving light to the shadows, and the promise of new beginnings. None of that light seeped into Kagome tiny apartment. Here the shadows remained because with them, there were no beginnings…only endings. Like the shadows in her home, Kagome was only an ending as well.

"_There was once a hanyou pinned to a tree…A miko from the future released him."_

Now it's the hanyou, the miko, and the jewel. Wonderful. Again, she was wondering why things couldn't have ended with the thief, instead of continuing on with the hanyou. She knew the answer. Because, as much as she hated beginnings, she hated the ending even more. Her pencil kicked up a bit in beat. This was her favorite part of the story. Less painful.

_"The jewel from the deceased miko was violently ripped out of the girl from the future. The blood painted the ground crimson, and the demon consumed it's prize. Like a white knight, the hanyou defeated the demon..."_

Kagome couldn't bring herself to say, "And the two lived happily ever after." There was no such thing. At least…not in her story. "Happily ever after," was reserved for the sappy romances that had good overcoming evil and all that jazz. No suck luck here bunny butt.

"…_and afterwards attacked the girl ruthlessly. He mistook her for his dead lover who had, unknowingly to him, died tragically fifty years earlier. He sought retribution for her betrayal and desired the jewel to become a full demon. He was determined to have both."_

That's more like it. Looking back now…she should have known that if her part in this tragedy started out so rocky, that it would end just as bad, if not worse. Hindsight's a bitch.

Kagome continued working on her career making story, throughout the rest of the day; completely ignoring the cramp that was forming in her hand. Perhaps when this was done, she'd be able to afford a computer or a laptop. Wishful thinking was a bitch too. 'Wish in one hand and shit in another…' as the saying goes.

"_There was once a demon lord…"_

What was she supposed to feel about him? Of all the characters that were to come, he was the most enigmatic. Kagome still didn't understand him, and perhaps never would. Maybe the reason she wasn't able to understand was because to do so would be the equivalent of an ending. Perhaps he was immune to endings…lucky bastard.

"_There was once an orphaned kitsune…"_

This part of the story struck a chord deep within her half-stilled heart. Throughout everything, he was the one that made it all worthwhile for her. HE was the reason she endured till the very end. His company kept her coherent in times when her mind just wanted to loose itself in misery. The way he would cuddle up to her every night. Beg her for chocolate and other sweets. Yes, he was her saving grace. She loved and hated him for it.

A part of her wanted nothing other than to just wallow in her own self misery, never again to look into the light and enjoy it's warmth. Young Shippo kept her from that, and all it took was a mention of his mother here, and a slight comment about his father there. All he had to do to win her over was remind her that he was an orphan with no one else in the world but her. Damn smart ass.

"_There was once a cursed monk…"_

Another character to add to the list. It seemed like they just kept coming out of the woodworks. Joy. She loved her companions, don't get her wrong, but wouldn't it have just been better if they'd never met? Who'd want to meet their ending after all? Apparently a lot of people, at least…that's how it seemed.

"_There was once a taijia…"_

They say that misery loves company…and they couldn't have been more right. If she ever found the guy who came up with that saying, she'd give him a thumbs up and tell him he 'hit the nail on the head'. Sango was miserable, and so was she. They were two lost souls seeking comfort in places where it wasn't to be found. Kagome sought comfort with Inuyasha who continuously pushed her away, and Sango sought it from Miroku who was too lecherous to be receptive to her platonic needs. She'd lost her whole family, and her brother was a puppet; she needed a hug, not have her rump rubbed. Damn lecher.

"_There was once a young ward…"_

Rin was her name. How the child ended up in the story was anybody's guess. By all rights she should have died and never have graced the pages of such a tragedy in time, but she did. Of all the characters, little Rin was the only one who came out more or less unscathed. At least someone seemed to. Perhaps it was because she wasn't exposed to Kagome as much as the others. Smart girl.

Kagome looked up from the mountains of papers that had piled onto her desk. Dusk had arrived in all it's dark glory, and Kagome found that there was a crick in her neck and she need to stretch. Damn. Time for a break. Her stomach grumbled loudly, and pulled her out of her dark memories.

She left her study for the kitchen. It was dark and gloomy in the twilight. Fitting. It all ended when Kagome flipped the switch to her twenty-first century apartment, and reveled in the way that modern electricity, focused on a ball of glass with filament curled inside, could chase away the demons that lurked in the shadows. Tetsusaiga, eat your heart out.

She busied herself with starting on the coffee. Funny how a few scoops of fragrant grounds and a filter could calm the soul and sooth the senses. While her miracle brew percolated, she fished around in her fridge for something edible. A frown marred her features when all that stared back at her was an expired carton of milk, expired cottage cheese, and what looked suspiciously like mildewed meatloaf. Not very appetizing.

The freezer was next on her search list. Empty. Pantry? YES! Jackpot. An unopened back of nacho-cheese Doritos. Chips and coffee; the breakfast/lunch/dinner of champions. Oh if only her mother could see her now…insert motherly nagging here:…

Kagome sighed when she returned to the seat of her desk. Her coffee was placed on her right, and the bag of chips lay opened to her left. In front of her was another blank page, but this one wasn't as daunting. In fact, now that most of the beginnings of the story were completed, the rest would be a breeze.

"_There was once a wolf prince…"_

This one was easy. A wolf prince, who was in love with a girl from the future, who was in love with a hanyou, who was in love with a memory. Easy…right. She'd loved the way Kouga would declare his affections for her for all the world to hear. She'd loved the way Inuyasha would get jealous. She'd loved the way his eyes would light up whenever she gave him a complement. Sadly she'd loved Kouga like a brother, and nothing more. Love sucked.

Her part in the story was coming up though. The ending. This was where all the beginnings of the story tied in to their one and only evitable end…at least…where Kagome was concerned.

"_There was a final battle for the jewel. The girl from the future and all of her allies fought against Naraku and his minions. Each side had in their possession one-half of the cursed jewel."_

The battle played over in Kagome's memory as her dulling pencil raced to keep up with her thoughts. She wrote it all down; how Sango's massive weapon flew threw the air with grace, cutting down all that stood in it's path. How Miroku stood by her side fending off the countless hordes of mindless demons that sought to end their lives. Wrote of how Shippo valiantly protected Kagome when a demon got too close. And finally of how Inuyasha brandished Tetsusaiga with as much gusto as always; shouting the names of his attacks to the heavens as each swing destroyed hundreds of enemies in one swoop.

In the end, it was all for nothing. Her companions died one, by one. Pathetic really. They'd fought so hard, and accomplished so much, and it was all for nothing. When the fighting was all said and done, the only ones left alive was Kagome and Naraku. So shocked was she, that she barely felt the vile being rip the shards from her person before leaving, and that was it. He didn't kill her, or mar her flesh in any recognizable way. Simply left with the jewel, and never looked back, as if to say, "It's too mundane a task to end your pathetic existence."

Apparently things were supposed to have gone the way they had. Nothing in the future had changed; for which Kagome was grateful. She'd failed in her quest, but kept faith in the thought that maybe she wasn't supposed to be the one to kill the vile being. Maybe she was just to open the way for someone else. A REAL miko with superior training and powers. Someone who had the stuff legends were made of; not some silly girl from the future. Or, perhaps, it was another demon that killed the bastard. Did his lust for something so trivial as absolute power lead to his downfall by the very creature he yearned to become? Fitting end. Either way, it was over.

Kagome never knew if he did come to his end, because nothing was ever mentioned of it. Then again, very little was ever mentioned about anything. Secretly, Kagome hoped that she HAD opened the door for someone else to kill Naraku. It would mean that she was finally a beginning to something, and not an end. As for this story?

"_The girl from the future disappeared afterwards, and was never heard from again…The end."_

(The end)

Tell me what you think? Love it? Hate it? Either way...let me know.


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